be rebuffed in the first encounter; be thwarted at the very beginning; get off on the wrong foot
? 剛一開局，他就折了一個車，真是～呀！ He lost a chariot when the chess game just began; he was really thwarted at the very beginning.
出師不利chū shī bù lì
師：軍隊；利：順利。形容事情剛開始就遭到失敗。a bad beginning,thwarted at the very beginning, get off on the wrong foot